CHAPTER 483: NO LOYALTY

The darkness of night never frightened a vampire nor could it hinder one for that matter. Their eyes were meant for such life.

Unlike humans who needed a beacon of light to split the shadows on their path.

However, that flicker, that flame only made them easy to spot by the predators that lurked in that same gloom they wished to ward off.

That was how, from very far, Lauden managed to spot the royal party as they traveled down the nearest border’s lane.

The caravan sat camp at some point on their way, surrounded by torches that helped them distinguish left from right.

The royal guards and the vampire escort that had been assigned to protect them by night stood watch over the rest of the party at the outskirts of the circles they had formed.

The first to spot Lauden as he approached them were the vampires, of course. They intercepted him without much hassle.

"This route has been cleared for the passage of a royal. State your name and business, vampire," one of them spoke as they all stared daggers at him.

"The name is Lauden and I come in peace, carrying a message from Lord Dragomir and his guest, Lord Reubon Sterling himself," Lauden flashed one of his signature charming smirks, "The words I carry for him will delight the prince just as much as they are important,"

There was no dilly dallying after that. A witch accompanying them in their travels was called to come forth.

Facing him, at first, she only studied his figure before demanding to see his hands, get a closer look into his eyes, ears, hair and inside his mouth all the while Lauden took it without a complaint until the woman eventually stepped back and turned to the guards.

"He is clear," she nodded, "I sense no trace of magic in him, but you may also pat him down to see if he carries any sealed potions,"

The guards did exactly that and once again, Lauden did not object, merely standing and enjoying the breeze that ruffled the trees around them.

His first impression upon stepping foot into the prince’s tent was that the man looked... Disappointed.

"Was your highness expecting a different visitor?"

"More or less," Cedric sighed, "What have you got for me, blood sucker? Out with it, I don’t have the whole night for this,"

At those words, Lauden’s eyes flickered towards the beautiful blond kneeling at the prince’s feet. From her looks and scent alone, the vampire recognized her as Irene, the same woman he had been introduced to Arabella and anyone that would ask at the ball.

"She is beautiful, isn’t she?" Cedric’s hand went under Irene’s chin forcing her entire head to crane upwards, following the direction of her face, "Although, I am regretful to inform you that I do not share my property. Especially not with your kind. Lord knows what sort of plague you might carry,"

Lauden’s eyes simply traveled back to the prince without commenting on the matter, "I am sure you’ve heard something about the spring equinox event," he half asked.

"Yes, I was misinformed at first as it seems,"

"You were not," he declared dryly, garnering the full attention of the prince, "Arabella did die that night but she was brought back to life,"

The prince chuckled but clearly not in an amused way. It was a bitter kind of chuckle. The kind that usually meant; cut the nonsense.

"Do you take me for a fool?" the smirk on him vanished gradually.

Like an open book he sat upon that oversized, neatly carved chair that seemed too big for his sake.

"No," Lauden simply said.

"There is neither science nor magic that can bring any creature back from the dead,"

"That was exactly what I said when I was informed about that but... There has always been rumors that a certain ingredient from a certain special someone can achieve true miracles, can make the impossible possible, and apparently-"

Cedric’s eyes narrowed, "I’ve heard such rumors too," he practically whispered.

The prince raised a hand before ordering Irene to light a special black candle that lay near them.

"Now, we can discuss business without any prying ears," upon noting Lauden’s attention had fallen on the candle, he elaborated, "Curtesy of our escort witch. Just in order to conduct business in peace, if need be,"

"They say his blood can not only bring the dead back to life but can also heal other vampires,"

"And can your source be trusted?" the prince’s eyebrow rose.

"It comes straight from the mouth of Dragomir’s spy. She witnessed it with her own eyes,"

"And why wasn’t I informed of this earlier?" he stood to his feet waving at Irene to move out of his way with a dismissive gesture.

"Dragomir and Reubon knew all along. They wished to keep the knowledge for themselves,"

It wasn’t the first lie Lauden had to tell throughout his life, but it was certainly the first in that conversation.

Dragomir only knew of the rumors like everyone else, but to hell with him too... He never deserved his position to begin with.

Cedric had better chances at yielding the results that Lauden craved, which was the suffering of Silas and that wench of his.

Allegra was already at his mercy and her agony was going to be greater than death for her actions.

"What’s in it for you, blood sucker?" Cedric raised his chin, "Coming out here, casting your own Lord to the dogs, so to speak. You do realize how that all looks, don’t you?"

"I never served him out of loyalty and besides, him and Reubon stepped on my toes far too many times for their own good,"

"So, this all is about revenge then," the prince half asked.

"If you will," the vampire turned away, a side smirk on him, "I can even assist you in getting your hands on him. The escort you were provided works for the syndicate. They wouldn’t wait a second before running back and spilling all of it to them,"

"Please, pick a chair and come join me then. We have a lot to discuss,"